How is to be without energy?
Some times we feel that we do not have any energy left in us. We feel that we have no strength to do any work. Our physical ability to work is our energy.
In the beginning of history of mankind, humans used fire, a form of energy, to cook food, for warmth, and for protection from wild animals at night. As our civilization advanced, we have developed even more sources of energy, and turned them into different forms.
Almost all forms of energy originate from the sun’s energy.
Leaves absorb sunlight and make food, which is a form of energy. When animals eat leaves, the energy is transferred to them, and when human beings eat vegetables or meat, the energy is transferred to them as well.
Energy takes many forms, and one form can be turned into another.
The more recent sources of energy are heat, electricity, chemicals and atoms. Our energy needs have increased over the years.
In the beginning, farmers used oxen and ploughs, but these have now been replaced by tractors. If oxen depend on grass that grows with the help of sunlight, the tractor uses energy that comes from fossil fuels like diesel.
As industries increase in number, the consumption of energy also increases. Electricity is the most convenient from of energy. Most industries use it to run their machines.
The developed countries have only 20% of the world’s population, but they enjoy 70% of the world’s wealth. Their consumption of energy is also high, an indication of their high lifestyle in terms of their dependence on appliances and machines.
Urbanization is as much a reason for high power consumption as industrialization. For, a city needs transportation, water supply and has to message disposal of waste. All these need energy, and need it on a large scale.
As fossil fuels are non- renewable resources, they diminish on use and also cause pollution. The vehicles, which consume petrol and diesel, are one of the main sources of pollution.
Pollution is also caused at the thermal station during the production of electricity. But due to the distant location of thermal stations from cities, people are not aware of the amount of pollution and damage the generation of electricity causes to the environment.
We use energy by changing its form. Electricity, for example, is turned into light and heat in an electricity bulb. We can feel the heat around the bulb.
Now the main difference between an energy source like electricity and others is that the former cannot be stored. The only way to store electricity is not produce it. So, if we consume less electricity, someone else can use it. If the average consumption of electricity increases, the production also has to increase accordingly. However, if it does not, there is a gap between the demand and supply. If production does not increase along with consumption, the availability of electricity decreases. To ensure that electricity is conserved by all there are power cuts. With the power cut in place, everyday is provided power for only some time.
Energy sources are primarily natural. Energy is mostly consumed in locations where it is naturally available. To consume it elsewhere, we need to change its form.
For example, it is the sunlight. During daytime, sunlight can be used wherever it is available. But to use sunlight at night we need to absorb and keep it stored in another form to be used later.
Form production to consumption, energy changes its forms many times and in the process, some of it is inevitably lost. We know that energy is primarily found in nature. It can be transported in the second stage. In the final stage, energy reaches the consumer who may buy it or just find it.
To be used, energy should flow continuously. Coal, water and wind are primary forms of energy. These are changed into electricity, for example, and supplied to consumers through wires or cables.
The use and production of energy are dependent on each other. Besides, both the actions leave an impact on the environment. Environmentally speaking, the production of energy should be cleaning, uncontaminated, and must produce as little waste as possible. The more efficiently we used electricity. the cleaner the environment will be. This is why research is being undertaken to improve the efficiency of energy use among people.
According to the 2001 census, 90% of village households in India used fire wood, cow dung patties, and agricultural wastes to fire their hearths for cooking. Even today, 565 of the villagers do not electricity.
If all households in India were to begin using electricity, we will have to double our production of electrical power. India has 24, 418 remote villages. They cannot be provided electricity through the conventional means of cables from substations and power grids. It is necessary to decentralize power production and supply it to these villages.
At the time of independence, we had a productive capacity of about 1400 megawatts of electricity. Now we have the capacity to produce 11, 13, 000 megawatts. Of this, 72% is thermal, 24% is hydro, and 2.5% atomic and 1.5% is wind power. Of the total electricity we use, 82% is from thermal sources, hydroelectric power makes up 14 5 and atomic energy 3% only 67% of our coal requirement is met from domestically available sources.
Natural gas is now being recognized as a clean source of energy, and is becoming increasingly attractive to countries that want to reduce the greenhouse gases. Yet the demand for petroleum products continues.
In the beginning, we used cow dung patties as fuel and then moved on to agricultural wastes. Later we used firewood. Approximately, fort years ago kerosene was introduced and ten years later gas entered the kitchen. We started using electricity soon and our dependence on it grew enormously.
The use of energy resources in this fashion has harmed the environment. Electricity is now used for a variety of functions from lighting to heating, from entertainment like TV and radio, to domestic uses like mixers and grinders. The increase in the number of vehicles on the road requires more fuel too.
Industry and agriculture should be assured of a reliable supply of energy. But we are far from self- sufficiency in this field. Shortage of fuel affects not only development, but it also threatens our security. To meet our fuel requirements, we depend largely on petroleum.
In the last forty years, the use of petrol across the world increased four times. In the next forty years, it appears to quadruple again. If we cannot increase our fuel availability, we must learn to use it carefully.
With the war in the Middle East, oil prices have shot up. The uneasy conditions in Iraq after the Gulf war have thrown the whole area into great suffering. From 1970-1990, the ratio of availability of fuel fell from fifty to thirty-five. The use of natural gas and coal increased to an extant too. In the same period, the use of atomic energy increased from 1.6% to 4.3 with the increased use of petroleum and coal, pollution has risen alarmingly. As a result, pressure on non-conventional energy sources such as solar and wind power is increasing.
The United States has 4.6% of the world’s population but consumes 25% of the energy. China with 21% of the world’s population consumes 10% Russia with 2.5% of population uses 7%. The Japanese are 2% of population but use 65 of the world’s energy. The Germans make up 1.3% of population but use 4% of energy. Indians make up about 16.5% of humanity but consume only 3.1% of the energy produced in the world. So, the combined population of the United States, Russia, Japan and Germany which comes to 10% of world’s population consumes 42% of the energy. China and India with 37% of the population use only 13% of the energy. India’s population is 75% of china’s but we use only 30% of the energy. So comparatively speaking; Indians use very little percentage of the world’s energy.
We can see that the average person in the advanced world uses nine times more energy than one in the developing world. An American uses twenty-four times more energy than an Indian does.
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